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Commenting on the report published today (Friday) by Policy Exchange, which calls for state intervention to encourage single parents with pre-school children to work, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“At a time when single parents are more likely to be in work than ever before, Policy Exchange is proposing a draconian policy of forcing those with small children to look for work.

“If couples are allowed to decide how they care for pre-school children – with one parent possibly choosing to stay at home – so too should lone parents.

“What parents really need – whether they are single, divorced, married or in a relationship – is decent pay, more flexible work and affordable childcare so they can better combine work with their caring responsibilities. Until this becomes a reality these proposals will simply condemn even more single parents and their children to a life of poverty.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- A summary of facts about single parents, work, childcare and poverty is available from Gingerbread atwww.gingerbread.org.uk/content/365/Statistics

- The TUC’s campaign plan can be downloaded from www.tuc.org.uk/campaignplan

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

- Follow the TUC on Twitter: @tucnews

Contacts:

Media enquiries:
Liz Chinchen   T: 020 7467 1248    M: 07778 158175    E: media@tuc.org.uk
Rob Holdsworth    T: 020 7467 1372    M: 07717 531150     E: rholdsworth@tuc.org.uk